College of DuPage burst onto the NJCAA lacrosse scene in its debut 2024 season, earning a place in the North Atlantic District title game and in championship contention.

The Chaps, under second-year head coach Bill Sanford, look to build upon that success and further its foundation for two-year players who wish to hone their skills and succeed in college lacrosse.

"We've seen growth across the board,'' Sanford said. "Our competitiveness and talent have improved.''

Sanford said the gap has been narrowed when the Chaps have faced area four-year programs.

"We're hoping that our improvement in the offseason will pay off when the playing field is a bit more level when we face junior college competition,'' he said.

They open the season Thursday night at home against St. Ambrose. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Bjarne Ullsvik Stadium.

COD went 5-4 a year ago and had its season end at Nassau Community College in postseason play. The Chaps played eight of their nine junior college games all on the road, going 4-4.

"We've seen an enhancement in a number of areas,'' Sanford said. "Our team academics have improved. Our level of talent throughout the roster is more competitive. We have more depth and knowledge from coaching staff.

"Those three aspects have fortified our foundation of making our program that much better.''

The Chaps will be led by their five captains — sophomore goalkeeper Michael Olas, sophomore defenseman Tate Liskey, sophomore long stick midfielder Nate Fisher, freshman midfielder Brady Menne and freshman attackman Bennett Jones.

"Our veteran presence is on defense,'' Sanford said. "We're athletically positioned to go up against good offenses. On offense, we're working with freshmen and getting them up to speed and learning the college game; playing as a team and making good decisions.''

This season's schedule promises to be just as difficult as the Chaps face two four-year schools in their first two games. A four-game road trip March 28 through April 2 includes NJCAA members Anne Arundel, Howard CC, Mercer County CC and Hudson Valley CC.

COD returns home April 11 against Northland, before making its second East Coast trip, this time April 15-19 against Herkimer County CC, Onondaga CC and Genesee CC.

The North Atlantic District is set for April 26-27 in West Windsor Township, N.J.
  
Coach Bill Sanford
Second-year head coach Bill Sanford spent 12 seasons leading Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights from a fledgling program into a perennial playoff challenger and among the top five in Illinois. He left Saint Viator with a .790 career winning percentage, ranking third all-time in Illinois prep lacrosse victories. His teams won nine conference titles, and made seven IHSLA quarterfinal appearances, eight Elite 8s and five Final Four appearances. He was named IHSLA Coach of the Year in 2011 and earned six conference coach of the year honors. More than 20 of his players advanced their athletic careers into NCAA Division I, III, III programs including seven that eventually captained their college teams.